We're a boutique marketing firm in New England. We fill the role of a marketing team for your company - without you having to worry about the high payroll and benefits costs.
Our team creates marketing strategies customized for our clients...incorporating social media, blogging, videography, reputation management, public relations and much more.
For more information, visit www.thesilentpartnermarketing.com.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Should Your Business Use A Group Or A Company Page On LinkedIn?

We recently had one of our newer clients ask us about the best way to utilize LinkedIn to grow their exposure and communicate message and events with their followers.

Let me begin by saying how warm and fuzzy I felt that a business is looking to use LinkedIn the way that it SHOULD be used...not like so many businesses are currently using it.

First - let's break down the benefits of LinkedIn vs. other forms of social media.

1) It's where the big boys and girls are hanging out. People, generally speaking, are on LinkedIn to do business - not to share pictures of their dog eating bacon. That simple fact increases the quality of potential leads for your business.

2) More people are looking for a direct service. While many social media platforms deliver information such as the cool restaurant to eat at or the best place to get your car fixed - LinkedIn backs this information with the opportunity to provide direct referrals and much more professional introductions.

3. You can separate personal from business. With LinkedIn, the overall environment is one of a higher level of class. You're more easily able to separate your private life or business shenanigans from your personal ones.

When it comes to LinkedIn, your "Company Page" is the absolute best way to market. This is where you should be sharing upcoming events, blogs, services, referrals and examples of your work. It's very easy to confuse the role of your company page with your group, as both offer similar opportunities for exposure. You should think about the Company Page as your business website. Use it to generate sales and provide value for your customers....and allow it to reveal the "human side of your company" as LinkedIn puts it.

With that being said, "groups" offer more control over privacy. They should be utilized for more interpersonal conversations about industry trends and analysis. Think of it like this. If you are a furniture store, you'll want to use the Company Page to promote your brand and your products. But you may want to share feedback and concerns with similar businesses in the industry across the country, and so you won't want to be discussing that publicly. That's where a group comes in. It allows you to discuss the shrinking economy and best practices for your business without having to list this information on the public platform. You are in complete control and have the ability to invite professionals to the group...or kick them out.

If you're at the point where you're trying to decide between a Company Page and a Group on LinkedIn...you're way above the curve when it comes to businesses using social media. Now it's time to fine-tune that presence and use it to represent your business.

----

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology. You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter. He's the Chuck Norris of marketing. It's outrageous - we know. That's kind of the point.